lHablas espanol? It may help in job search Offers more plentiful for those who know a second language By RODNEY CHONGWE staff writer
Timon Marshall, 24, is a senior who is majoring in business administration and Spanish. His minor is French. Marshall, who is scheduled to begin international law studies at Columbia University this fall, is one of the new breeds of students who are tailoring their career objectives to frontiers beyond the domestic job market. "I would like to work as a lawyer for a multinational corporation," said Marshall. "French and Spanish will enable me to develop an understandi"ng of and an appreciation for the cultures of the people in whose countries my prospective employer may be conducting business." American multinational corporations that conduct business in other countries are in the thousands. "One out of every three acres of (U.S.) farmland is geared toward the export market, and one in six businesses has overseas operations," according to Lynne Goodhart, a French and Russian professor at USU. Marshall's language pursuit is not unfounded. As business administration department's Keith Taylor explained, "Any multinational corporation appreciates employees who demonstrate a language-learning ability. Having knowledge of a foreign language prior to employment demonstrates a commitment. " Taylor learned this lesson from experience . He worked in Brazil and Venezuela before becoming assistant finance professor. "If I had been fluent in Portuguese and Spanish, " he recalled, "I would have been in a better position to gain subtle insights into the cultures of those two nations." For USU student Victoria Johnson , knowledge of an African langua ge helped her gain insights into local Swazi customs. Working as a Peace Corps volunteer in Swaziland, Johnson, who is left-handed , learned that local customs did not allow the use of the left hand. She avoided using her left hand by holding something in it. "A small gesture such as this earned me more acceptance by the people, " she said. 'The people felt that I had respect for their culture. Cultural appreciation became a two-way exchange, instead of I imposing mine on them." The benefits of speaking in a foreign tongue go beyond securing employment with multinational corporations, the armed forces and the foreign service. As Goodhart puts it, 'The United States is tied to the rest of the world economically, politically and even militarily. Having knowledge of a foreign language is for our own surviva l." (continued on page 2)
Belinda Thompson, left, studies in USU language lab. Marlin Brown, above left, passes off Spanish verbal exercises with lab assistant Carlos Gumucio. Paula Huff pl10tos